Cover image via Najmi Nor'azam/New Straits Times
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Johor police are investigating jealousy and drug-related conflict as possible motives behind the murder of six people at an oil palm plantation
According to the New Straits Times, the victims were two adults and four children, believed to be aged 2, 5, 9, 17, 29, and 35.
State police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said their bodies were found burned but intact, suggesting they had not been moved after their death.
He said the bodies were discovered in an unfinished and abandoned house at an oil palm plantation in Kangkar Pulai, Johor Bahru, about 2km from the main road.
The bodies were found by a 48-year-old male family member, who had been searching for them after losing contact for the past three months.
The child victims were reportedly not enrolled in school and had no formal education records. Forensic investigations confirmed that the fire was deliberately set.
Police have since arrested four suspects, with two charged in the Johor Bahru Magistrate's Court today, 4 February, for the murder of the male victim
All four suspects had prior criminal records, and three tested positive for methamphetamine, said Ab Rahaman.
Two of the suspects are brothers, R Arasan, 32, and R Utes, 36, who were jointly charged with murdering 28-year-old V Thamil Selvan on 15 September last year.
The case was fixed for mention on 6 April, pending autopsy, toxicology, and DNA results. No bail was granted.
Investigators believe the suspects knew the two adult victims through drug use, and that jealousy and substance-related conflicts may have contributed to the incident, reported NST.
